


Partnership

by Minuete



Series: His and Her Angst [14]
Category: The X-Files
Genre: Angst, F/M, post-episode s6ep17: Trevor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-10
Updated: 2017-12-10
Packaged: 2019-02-13 02:15:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12973509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Minuete/pseuds/Minuete
Summary: A companion piece to “Mulder’s Visit” because I couldn’t help but wonder if Scully would come across the ripped photo.





	Partnership

It wasn’t her intention to pull at a corner of what she assumed would be a picture of Samantha peeking out the edge of Mulder’s wallet when he asked her to retrieve his wallet from his motel room dresser. Scully merely wanted to adjust the photo before handing the wallet over. It caught her by surprise to see the well-worn picture to be of her, but she didn’t recognize where it was taken. She studied the photo noticing how long ago it had to have been, how fresh-faced she looked, a fledging field agent. What was she looking politely at? What happened to the other half of the photo?

“Hey, Scully? What’s the—“ Mulder stopped when he entered the room seeing her hold the picture.

  
“I, uh…here,” she stammered still confused as she deposited the wallet and the picture into his hand then found her words, “You know, Mulder, there’s tons of photographs taken through the years that are stashed away in one of the moving boxes.”

She watched as he carefully placed the photo back inside one of his wallet sleeves and tuck the wallet in his back pocket. Scully didn’t know what to make of it as she noticed a slight blush on Mulder’s face. She didn’t know what to make of anything, really, ever since the X-Files was turned over to them.  
“Those photographs were taken at crime scenes, Scully,” Mulder answered, “this one was taken by none other than your favorite, lovesick troll.”

“Frohike?” her eyes widened by surprise, “that day when I first met them.” Mulder nodded. “So then why is the photograph ripped? I recall you were standing next to me.”

“He caught me at a bad angle. I was all schnozz,” his reply as he tapped the side of his nose. Scully huffed as she walked past him heading to their rental car that was idling in the parking lot. Mulder quickly followed behind, “I got off the phone with Jackie Gurwitch. Trevor was referred to a child psychologist to deal with the recent trauma, and June will be charged as an accessory after the fact for the burglary Rawls committed.”

She waited until they both entered the car before she responded, “The poor kid’s going to need therapy for a while. Seriously, what were the odds of Pinker Rawls finding out he had a son? How much longer would June be able to hide the truth from what looks like her ex-boyfriend?”

“The truth somehow reveals itself through all the deception, Scully.”

“Says the man who gets led into believing in the deception,” she said this under her breath but she knew Mulder heard it as his grip on the steering wheel tightened.

“I told you my reason for trusting Diana, Scully.”

“I know. I don’t need you to rehash it to me. And it isn’t about Agent Fowley. It’s about your desire in wanting to believe you found the truth so badly that you get caught up in the half lies,” Scully explained, “June built the foundation of their relationship on a lie.”

“While ours is built on trust?”

 _Ours_. His use of pronoun and comparison gave her pause. “Our _partnership_ started off dicey, but yes. It’s built on trust for the most part,” she answered as she turned her head to look out the window. An ill-attempt at redrawing a line that had long since blurred and faded with her word choice. She didn’t like where this conversation was leading, so she changed the topic, “Are you going to tell me what that picture in your wallet’s about?”

Mulder shrugged, “Frohike gave it to me while you were gone. I guess you could say it’s a reminder of that time of our partnership.”

“And when did he give this to you? He didn’t care to make a copy for me as well?”

Mulder fell silent seemingly lost in thought, perhaps recalling when Frohike gave him the photo until his answer made Scully wish she didn’t bring up the photo. “It was during your abduction. The guys thought that you wouldn’t return, so Frohike presented me the photo in memory of our partnership.”

Scully glanced over to him, a sudden lump caught in her throat as she swallowed. She had an idea from others how distraught and helpless Mulder felt. She had placed that burden on him when she screamed for his aid over the phone. “Why do you still have it in your wallet? I returned…”

“It serves as a reminder for me. How much I value this,” he answered as he gestured his right hand between them. The car had the A/C blasting since the defrost feature seemed to be shot in their rental. They were experiencing muggy weather Mississippi-style. No amount of hair spray could stop Scully’s hair from curling from the humidity. She had mentioned to him once that life was passing by while they’re just in a car driving, endless miles together investigating possible X files in middle-of-nowhere towns. It was his life and she allowed it to overshadow her own life again.

Self-preservation taught her to not read too deeply into Mulder’s responses anymore. She continued to stare out her side of the window. “It does beat manure investigations,” Scully simply agreed not acknowledging anything beyond cases.

“That’s not what I meant, Scully,” Mulder replied annoyed, “I value our _partnership_. I value our perseverance in cases where our government play a part. I value our times spent together in cars discussing anything from cases to choice of music to random factoids. I don’t take this for granted, Scully. I don’t take _you_ for granted.”

She didn’t have to look over to know that Mulder’s jaw was set, hazel eyes ablaze based on his tone. He spat out “partnership”, his dislike of her word choice apparent. But that is what they have. It is all that they have between them, sharing custody of the X files. Codependency is a bitch.

“You’re going to want to stay in the right lane once you take the next exit to drop off the rental,” Scully instructed after a deafening beat of silence, Mulder’s statement hanging heavy in the muggy, A/C car.

 

 

 


End file.
